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Red flag! We’re at a standstill again, after Nico Hülkenberg collides with a wall at turn four. Piastri had just posted his first lap, and it’s quicker than Leclerc – but Lewis Hamilton is the new leader, with Ferrari bringing their practice pace to qualifying so far.
Q1: Approaching the halfway mark of this stop-start session, where Lecelerc still leads with a lap time of 1:41.982. The Ferraris are on softs, while the McLarens and Red Bulls are on medium tyres.
Q1 resumes: Kimi Antonelli has his name taken for a yellow flag infringement – the Italian claims he didn’t see the flag, but he may end up getting a grid penalty for that.
Watching the various garages frantically tinker with their cars’ setup, I feel a bit like I’m live blogging a busy day at Kwik-Fit. Anyway, we’re back under way …
Q1 paused: As we wait to resume in three minutes or so, Esteban Ocon is reporting that a fallen branch is caught under his rear tyre. All happening early on. Oscar Piastri didn’t get time to post a full lap before the red flag for Albon, and will be eager to get back out there.
Red flag! Alex Albon has clattered into a corner, damaged his front left tyre and is out of qualifying. The session has stopped with 11min 33sec to go; Charles Leclerc had just set a fastest time on red soft tyres.
Q1: Carlos Sainz is the early leader, with all 20 drivers now out on the circuit. The wind is blowing a fair bit of foliage and debris around, while Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg almost clipped a wall and has posted the slowest time so far.
Q1 is under way
Early cars out on the track include the two Williams – but Oscar Piastri’s McLaren won’t be going anywhere just yet. Mechanics seem to be replacing something on the front of his car – still plenty of time for him to get through this first session though.
Azerbaijan GP secures calendar spot until 2030
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will stay on the Formula 1 calendar until at least 2030 after receiving a four-year contract extension. The contract for the street circuit had been due to expire after next year’s race, but it has been confirmed today that a new deal has been agreed.
Azerbaijan was seen as a surprise venue on its debut in 2016 but has become known as one of F1’s more unpredictable circuits. Off the track, holding a race here also raised concerns over the country’s human rights record. Amnesty has reported “a sharp decline in respect for human rights” in Azerbaijan over the last year.
Here are the latest drivers’ championship standings:
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Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 324pts
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Lando Norris (GB) McLaren 293pts
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Max Verstappen (Neth) Red Bull 230pts
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George Russell (GB) Mercedes 194pts
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Charles Leclerc (Mon) 163pts
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Lewis Hamilton (GB) 117pts
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Alexander Albon (Thai) 70pts
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Kimi Antonelli (It) 66pts
More on Saturday’s final practice, where Lando Norris set the pace and winds picked up. The title-chasing British driver had a hefty bang into the wall which brought an early end to his running in Friday’s second practice but his McLaren escaped without any significant damage.
Norris was the first of the front-running drivers on track on Saturday but swiftly complained that his car felt “sketchy”. He initially struggled to find pace but surged to the top of the charts in the closing stages to end the session 0.222sec clear of Max Verstappen.
Championship leader Oscar Piastri, who like Norris also banged into the wall on Friday, had another troubled session as he narrowly avoided another collision with the barriers before also taking to the run-off area at turn one. The Australian, who leads Norris by 31 points in the standings, was third-fastest and over two tenths behind his teammate.
Baku lived up to its moniker as the “City of Winds” as 20kmph gusts swept across the street circuit on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
Lewis Hamilton, fastest on Friday, was fourth for Ferrari. His team-mate Charles Leclerc, who will bid for a fifth consecutive pole position in Baku, appeared to have genuine pace before a nudge against the wall and he ended the session down in 10th. PA Media
Preamble
It was on the streets of Baku a year ago that McLaren began to emerge as Formula One’s leading force. Oscar Piastri won his second grand prix, Lando Norris fought through the field and McLaren overtook Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
Twelve months on, McLaren have accelerated away from their rivals. They could secure the constructors’ title on Sunday and the only real question left is which one of their drivers will win the world championship. Piastri has racked up another seven GP wins since to lead the race from Lando Norris.
The Briton’s return to Baku this weekend has been a mixed bag – he suffered a “costly” crash in practice on Friday, when the twin Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were fastest. “Overall we seem pretty strong – but it looks like McLaren are in another world,” was Leclerc’s gloomy prediction.
Norris lived up to those expectations in today’s final session, with Max Verstappen second and Piastri third. Leclerc’s mood might not change much even if he tops qualifying today; Leclerc has been on pole for the last four trips here, but has never won the main race. Qualifying gets under way at 1pm (BST), 4pm local time.
